March 7, 2023

Old Sc Fi Movies – Part Three

Picture of rock crystal
Image by ha11ok from Pixabay

Here we have one more episode of my series on old sci fi movies.  Can you tell it’s one of my passions!  I promise after this post I’ll take a break and move on to a fresh topic.

When Worlds Collide

The year 1951 was a great year for science fiction movies, and When Worlds Collide is one of them.

The story begins with a playboy pilot being asked to fly some disturbing astronomical photographs from South Africa to the United States for analysis.  There it is confirmed that earth has only eight months until another planet crashes into it and ends all life on earth.

In the usual way the scientists are not believed but they manage to privately fund a rocket to try and save some of humanity.  One of the financiers is an unethical rich man who agrees to fund the project, with conditions.  Without giving anything away suffice it to say he gets his!

There are a couple personal crises as a limited number of people are chosen to go on the flight.  The climax has the humans just getting away in time and arriving at their new home.

The special effects hold up OK because the story is good.  If you haven’t seen this one in a while give it a try!

The Deadly Mantis

This one is not rated as well as some old sci fi movies but it is still one of my favorites.  It was released in 1957.  There must have been heightened interest in the Arctic and Antarctica in the 50s as I’ve noticed several old classics start there.

Anyway, the story is about a giant praying mantis that is released from the ice and proceeds to wreak havoc on the earth.  I must have a thing for giant creatures, but I am not alone!

I read that a giant paper mache praying mantis was built for the movie.  It was over 200 feet long and powered by hydraulics.  This, along with some smaller models and real praying mantis shots were used for the special effects.

This one is a little harder to find, but make the effort and give it a try.  I think I found it as part of a multi movie DVD on Amazon.

The Monolith Monsters

The Monolith Monsters is another lesser known film from 1957.  It takes place in the desert like a lot of movies from that era.  It seems like many of these old sci fi movies liked either the desert or ice in the Arctic or Antarctic.

The story revolves around a meteorite that crashed in the desert and begins to grow as soon as it is exposed to water.  The story continues with children on a class field trip finding black fragments of the meteorite, with one of the fragments being exposed to a barrel of water and destroying a farm and its occupants.

A rainstorm means the town is threatened by the giant crystals that grow from the fragments.  Science eventually prevails as it is discovered that salt water stops the monoliths.

I won’t give more away, so if you haven’t seen this one give it a try!

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December 1, 2022

Old Sci Fi Movies Part Two

Alien face
Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash

Today I’ll continue to talk about one of my personal passions – Old Sci Fi Movies.  I started this series here.  And yes, I already know what a nerd I am!

Let’s get started:

The Thing From Another World

OK, put this one on late at night in a darkened room!  It may be over 70 years old but it’s still scary!  And it is one of my favorites.

The movie is from 1951 and in black and white.  It begins with a call from an arctic research station for help investigating a downed aircraft.  The Air Force responds and discovers a flying saucer buried under the ice.  They then proceed to try and uncover it using some kind of thermite and manage to blow up the craft.

They then find a huge alien humanoid frozen in the ice and bring it back to the base contained in a huge block of ice.  A guard manages to unfreeze the alien by accidentally leaving an electric blanket on the ice block.  What follows are some scary scenes after the alien escapes and the discovery that the alien is actually plant based.

The climax is the alien attacking the isolated base and our heroes killing the alien.  I’ll let you watch this scary one and see how they do it!

An interesting fact is that when the film was released it actually made more money than “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “When Worlds Collide,” two of my other favorites.  The year was a good one for science fiction fans!

The Beast from 20 Thousand Fathoms

This one came out a couple years later in 1953.  It is probably the first popular monster movie based on results of nuclear bomb testing.

The basic plot is of a prehistoric dinosaur released as a result of an atomic test in the arctic.  The monster is spotted by a witness, but nobody believes him.  He sticks to his belief and eventually becomes a hero of the story.

The monster makes its way down the east coast.  Along the way he destroys some fishing boats, demolishes a lighthouse and gobbles up a famous old scientist.  Eventually it ends up in New York where it causes general mayhem and destruction.   An interesting side effect is it releases a deadly bacteria or virus that had long been dormant before being released from the ice.

The climax happens in an amusement park where our hero saves the day.  Special effects were by Ray Harryhausen, who was the genius behind many films.  They hold up fairly well.

Them

Them is another sci fi monster film, this time with giant ants!  It was released in 1954.  Again the giant ants were a result of atomic testing, this time in the New Mexico desert.

I love the initial setting for this movie.  It takes place in a remote desert area and some parts are made spookier by a howling wind storm.

The queen ants can fly and they eventually make their way to Los Angeles, where they take up residence in the city’s river drainage system.  The climax involves a hero rescuing two young boys trapped by the ants, and the ants being destroyed by the army.

Like many movies from the fifties I enjoy the scenes of life from the time.  This includes things like old cars and clean city infrastructure.  It represents a simpler time, if only in movies!

I hope you enjoy this series.  There is much more to come. 

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November 3, 2022

Old Sci Fi Movies Part One

Galaxy Photo
Photo by Guillermo Ferla on Unsplash

I love Science Fiction movies from the 1950s!  I’m not old enough to remember seeing them in theaters, but I lived to see them on TV as a kid in the 1060s.  The Sunday paper came with a TV listing guide and I remember every week studying the paper to see what sci fi and monster movies would be shown.

I remember “Chiller Theater” which came on Saturday nights at 11:00.  When I was old enough I would watch the movies every week.  They often showed a few until it was almost dawn.  I would sit on the floor in front of the TV and be too scared to go to bed!

Other times when the movies were on at more normal times I would have to fight with the other family members who weren’t as enamored with the movies as me!  Of course we only had one TV and there was no such thing as VCRs, DVDs or streaming.

As I’ve gotten older I still like my 50s sci-fi.  It’s a lot easier now with DVDs and streaming services.  It still takes some searching for the lesser known titles, but I keep adding to my collection!

For this Part One I’m listing three of my favorites.  I won’t attempt to rank them as it would be close.  Here they are.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

I’m talking about the original here.  The modern remake is no way near as good!  An alien visitor comes to earth in the early days of the atomic age.  The film begins with a  flying saucer that lands in a park in Washington DC.

The alien is promptly shot and then my favorite scene happens.  A giant robot comes out of the saucer and proceeds to vaporize all the surrounding weapons.  The music for the whole movie is great, but the music as the robot comes out of the saucer is incredible.

I also enjoy all the scenes from early 1950s Washington.  Life seemed so much simpler then.  The movie climaxes with a meeting of world scientists and a warning about nuclear weapons from the alien visitor.

War of the Worlds (1953)

There have been many imitators but the original is still the best.  The movie is based upon the 1898 novel by H.G.Wells.  Of course while the novel was based in Victorian England, the setting for the movie is early 1950s Southern California.

The movie begins with the crash of an alien craft near a small town and proceeds to the final battle in Los Angeles.  There are great battle scenes between the US military and the alien death rays, and love interest between the scientist and the local girl.

The special effects are great for the time and hold up fairly well even today.  The Martian fighting machines were originally made of copper.  One interesting note I read was that the props were used again in the 1960s film “Robinson Crusoe on Mars,” itself a fun movie.

Earth Versus the Flying Saucers (1956)

This is the classic 1950s Flying Saucer movie.  “ The Day the Earth Stood Still” used one flying saucer, but this movie has lots and they blow up all kinds of things!

The movie begins with newlyweds driving along when they are buzzed by a flying saucer.  The newlywed scientist heads up a troubled satellite program that is eventually attacked by the saucers.

Alot happens in between but the finale consists of an attack on Washington by many saucers and the scientist saving the day with a new weapon.

Special effects are decent and were done by Ray Harryhausen, a famous special effects master for several films.  He used stop-motion animation for the flying saucer scenes, and for the destruction of famous government buildings.

There are dozens of 50s sci fi movies to enjoy.  Watch for more in future posts.

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